1. Prior Art
Guth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,923 and Reeves et al in U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,941 disclose that flame retardant properties may be imparted to cellulosic textile materials by treatment with phosphorus containing compounds. In addition, it is also known that introduction of a phosphorus containing flame retardant in a nitrogen containing compound results in a synergistic flame retardant effect as described in Tesoro et al, Textile Research Journal, 1969, pp. 180-190 as well as Beninate et al., American Dyestuff Reporter, Dec. 2, 1968, pp. 74-77. The prior art predominantly illustrates utilization of the supra synergism by describing flame retardant compounds comprising contacting N-methyl urea, melamine etc. with tri (hydroxymethyl) phosphine i.e. (HO-CH.sub.2).sub.3 P and tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium halides i.e. (HO-CH.sub.2).sub.4 -P-X where X usually consists of Cl or Br. U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,551 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,838 respectively describe these processes. The textile materials are impregnated usually with aqueous solutions containing the organic nitrogeneous-phosphorus compounds, dried and then subjected to conditions which insolubilize the flame retardant in situ.
Another desirable characteristic to be imparted to cellulosic textile materials especially those used in the manufacture of wearing apparel is wrinkle resistance. The prior art has concentrated on the use of thermosettable polymers for the obtention of such so-called permanent press effects and U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,157 discloses a typical method designed to improve the crease resistance of textile materials by coating said materials with a polyurethane.
In the prior art however, in order to obtain both flame retardance and wrinkle resistance, the textile material was usually treated successively with a flame retardant and then with a compound capable of imparting wrinkle resistant properties. A single treatment process to impart both flame retardancy and wrinkle resistance has become the object of considerable research in the art.
2. Objects of the Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for treating cellulosic textile materials whereby single treatment with a single compound imparts a high degree of both flame retardancy and wrinkle resistance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of imparting simultaneously flame retardant and wrinkle resistance characteristics to cellulosic materials without significantly increasing the fabric's stiffness. Other objects will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.